I Miss You To Death
by xLollipopLovex
Summary: Trouble befalls on the Nura Family and Rihan searches for the mastermind behind this. It all leads to a certain someone who bears hatred and wishes to seek vengeance on the Nura Clan. How would Rihan react when he finds out the identity of the mastermind? Will he be able to stay strong? Or will he succumbs to his feelings?
1. Chapter 1 Darkness Approaching

**I love Nurarihyon no Mago so much! Who doesn't anyway? XD It's a family of hotties! *heart pounds***

**This fanfiction is not based completely on the manga or anime. I'm not sure whether this will turn out great since it's my first long anime fanfiction, but I promise you that I'll do my very best! :) ****Do point out any mistakes that I did and I'll try to correct them. Positive/negative reviews are welcome! :)**

**Let's not delay any further and get started! Enjoy the first chapter~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Nurarihyon no Mago but I do own Reika and the other characters that I came up with. :D**

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_Flowers bloom sevenfold and eightfold,_

_but the kerria laments, _

_for not a single fruit does it bear._

__Even if I can make flowers bloom brilliantly,__

__to bear such a fruit,__

__is beyond my ability.__

_Such sadness._

_His fingers clutched at the smooth, white washi paper tightly, his blood draining from his face. He recognized the familiar handwriting. Every word that he read stabbed him in his heart one at a time. His mind went blank with shock after reading the poem. He let his hand dropped to his side while he stared into the emptiness of the room, his surroundings faded away to nothingness._

_Otome, what on earth was she saying?_

_Did she...leave him?_

_After all these years together, she left him?_

_Her sorrowful words lingered in his mind and her velvety voice seemed to recite the poem into his ears softly. She appeared before him suddenly with a gentle smile on her face. When he saw her, his eyes brimmed with relief and happiness._

_Thank goodness, he thought to himself. She didn't leave me, it was all just a bad dream._

_He stepped forward with his hands reaching out towards her. He yearned to run his fingers through her gorgeous raven hair. He yearned to let his fingers trailed down her pale face and feel her soft skin. He yearned to stare into those loving, ebony eyes of hers and fall deep in love with her over and over again._

_His hands, in an attempt to hug her, grasped at nothing but air. She vanished into thin air right before his eyes. He called out her name a couple of times but only silence replied him._

_He was all alone._

_And then realization struck him and the world came c__rushing down hard on him. All the air was sucked out of his lungs and he doubled over in pain that was coming from his chest. He clutched his kimono and burning tears spilled from his amber eyes. The pain and hurt he felt from losing his love was just indescribable. It was like being ripped and torn into pieces from the inside.__  
_

_The cruel fate that separated him and her apart caused all the brilliant lights to disappear from his world. His body trembled and he fell to his knees. His screams of agony began and his Fear intensified in reaction to his emotions. His subordinates could hear him from the outside clearly but they knew that they wouldn't be able to do a thing to comfort him._

_ "A nightmare! That's right, none of this is real!__" he cried out loud. But it was useless, he knew that he was just self-denying the harsh reality. He screamed even worse, hoping to wake up from this horrible dream and realize that she didn't actually leave him at all. But minutes passed and the pain in his chest grew worse. He gripped the paper to his heart, knowing that her fingers had touched it not long ago._

_He stood up suddenly, and ran out of the room. There was a soft rain trickling down the sky, soaking his hair and haori a little as he ran towards the back of the mansion, where there was a garden that was blooming full of yamabuki flowers. He stopped to catch his breath and his eyes gazed over the flowers._

_Otome, my love..._

_Was our love for each other simply not enough?_

* * *

In Tokyo, the bright city lights dazzled every living creatures. Tall, concrete buildings, trains, vehicles and humans occupied the entire place. In this century, the humans dominated the world despite being such fragile and short-lived creatures. None of them believed in the legends about youkai anymore but of course, there were bound to be some exceptions.

The youkai were forced to hide and live in the shadows. There were two types of youkai - evil and good. Those who were said to be standing on the side of evil, possessed greed and hatred. They would snatch or kidnap humans and feed on them. They enjoyed the looks of terror on the weak humans and craved for more. Those who were standing on the side of good, were compassionate and would protect humans. They believed in coexisting with the humans peacefully.

Some of these "good" youkai could be found in a town called Ukiyoe. To humans, it appeared to be just a normal large, old-fashioned Japanese mansion that has obviously stood for a good number of ancient years. But that wasn't the case.

"Rihan-sama! Rihan-sama!" Kubinashi shouted his name repeatedly as he searched the whole mansion for the Second Supreme Commander. The other youkai in the house scattered out of his way as he shot past them after looking into each room.

"Dammit, why must he disappear at a time like this?" Kubinashi muttered under his breath irritably. He had gone to every single room in the mansion but to no avail.

He turned around, making his way to the last place where he knew Rihan might be at. If he wasn't there, well, he would have to ask the Tengu siblings to search for him.

He walked down the veranda steps leading to the back of the mansion. When he saw the familiar back of a certain someone, he heaved a sigh of relief. Standing there, looking at the beautiful yamabuki flowers, was Rihan. He was carrying little Rikuo in his arms.

Kubinashi stayed at wherever he was, reluctant to interrupt them. He was glad that Rihan was happier now ever since he met Wakana. It was a blessing when Rikuo was born. Rihan's broken heart seemed to have healed as years passed.

However, Kubinashi would find him at the garden often when he disappeared. Rihan would look at the flowers with such sadness in his eyes that sometimes Kubinashi would wonder if he was really happy or not.

"I'll be a great youkai like Daddy in the future!" Rikuo exclaimed loudly, his eyes shinning brightly. Rihan used his left hand to pinch Rikuo's cheek teasingly.

"Ow, Daddddyyyyyy!" Rikuo whined, but he flashed a cheeky smile at his father. It was such a sweet moment between the father and son.

As much as he hated interrupting their moment, Kubinashi has to rush Rihan to attend the urgent general meeting at the house. "Rihan-same, please hurry to the meeting room. They are waiting for you."

Rihan turned around slowly. Sensing the urgency in Kubinashi's voice, he agreed quickly. "Here, take care of him," Rihan ordered and handed over Rikuo to him. Once he was carrying him, Rikuo placed both of his tiny hands on either side of Kubinashi's cheeks. He bobbed his floating head up and down like he was waving a balloon.

"Rikuo-sama! Leave my head alone, please!" Kubinashi pleaded, afraid that his head would roll across the ground again. Rihan smiled at the both of them before walking back to the house. Kubinashi couldn't handle him and now, he couldn't handle Rikuo. He pitied him, but only a little.

He made his way towards the meeting room quickly. Two small youkai slid opened the shoji screen doors for him and he entered. The room was dead silent and the atmosphere was so tense. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that his subordinates' faces were strained. All eyes were on him as he walked to the seat that was meant only for him, right beside his father, Nurarihyon.

After he sat down, he began talking. "Sorry for keeping you guys waiting. Now, what's the urgent matter?"

Karasu Tengu spoke up first, his head was slightly bowed. "Soudaishou and Nidaime, there has been rumours spreading around regarding a youkai gathering his own Night Parade of One Hundred Demons."

"I've heard about that." Rihan nodded his head thoughtfully. He folded his arms into the sleeves of his haori. "Continue speaking."

"Apparently, those rumors are indeed true. I've sent my sons to investigate it. And it seemed that their Fear has been increasing greatly over the past few months. This poses a great threat to our Nura Clan," Karasu Tengu said gravely.

He lifted his head to look into Rihan's eyes solemnly.

"It appears...that they are coming to Ukiyoe soon."


	2. Chapter 2 Forming Her Hyakki Yakō

**I really like to thank QueenDeedee for being the first person to review my story. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much! :)**

**My dear readers, do continue to read on and share with me your thoughts! **

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_Baggage thrown over his shoulder and a bamboo straw hat on his head tilted a little to the side, a lonesome figure stood still for a minute to feel the icy, cold wind biting against his skin. It was an arduous journey since it was still snowing hard, but this wasn't enough to stop him._

_The coldness that he was feeling on his skin was nothing compared to the bitter coldness and desolation in his heart. He was worried for Otome, especially when she was such a vulnerable and kindhearted youkai. Anybody could take advantage of her. Because of this, he grew even more anxious._

_Where was she staying at? Was she alright?_

_Jaw set in grim determination, he took a few steps forward and continued heading to his next destination. But this time, it was Niigata. It has already been five months since his wife had left him, but it felt like eternity to him. His heart was aching for her every second, every minute and every day._

_He felt utterly useless and incomplete without her by his side. On the day when she left him, not only did she take her necessities with her, she took his heart too. __Lifeless and lost, the vibrant colors in his life faded to a dull grey. Was there any meaning in his life without Otome by his side? _

_His subordinates weren't helping him either. Kubinashi, Kejoro, Kurotabo, Aotabo and the rest managed to catch up with him once. They tried to persuade him to return to the main house, but he wasn't listening to their words. If they were trying to make him gave up on finding Otome, well, they were going to find themselves terribly disappointed. _

_He vanished once again without a trace in front of them, hoping that they would leave him alone._

_On nights when he couldn't find her in the village, he would drown himself in sake at a tea house. Courtesans would flock around him and try to entertain him seductively. However, he was in no mood to flirt with them. _

_"Leave the room." These were the only words that he would say, but the harshness in his tone sent the girls scattering out of the room hurriedly. Once alone, he would chug down the sake and gaze at the moon for a long time before collapsing on the floor and falling into a restless sleep._

_The next morning, he was gone. He would leave the village and head to the next one in hopes of finding his dear Otome once again._

_He wasn't planning on giving up until he finally managed to find her. Even if it meant searching every corner of the world._

* * *

"W-who are you people?"

The one who had just spoken was the only brave youkai among the group. They were just a bunch of youkai who have gathered together to live in a small hidden village. The rest of the youkai were cowering and trembling in fear because of the tremendous youkai aura that was radiating off her body.

Silky and long coal-black hair fluttering in the wind, she stood tall, fierce and magnificent in front of her audience. She stared down at the short, insignificant youkai who had asked her a question. Her followers stood behind her, ready to slaughter anybody who would dare to attack their commander.

She was extremely gorgeous. Both male humans and youkai lusted after her and was unable to resist her bidding. Her beauty hypnotized people and she was able to make great use of them. At the same time, she was a powerful youkai that made others fear or admire her. So far, she hasn't met anybody who was stronger than her yet.

She was quite sure that she was undefeatable. Unless...she met someone who was her equal.

Her dazzling scarlet eyes scanned through the group slowly. After a moment, she spoke in a low and sharp voice that captured everyone's mind in her control.

"I'm looking for someone by the name of 'Kino'. Where is he?" She demanded in a low and glacial voice.

They shrank back in fear and shook their heads. None of them has seen the person that she was looking for. Yuya, a Yuki-Onna who was one of her loyal subordinates, stepped forward and scowled in irritation at them.

"How could none of you have seen him!? How dare you show such rude manners in front of our Reika-sama! You better spill his whereabouts before I slaughter every single one of you!" Stretching out her arms, ice shards formed in the air inches from her pale fingers as she aimed it at the insignificant beings in front of her. Their faces turned frightened and they dropped down to their knees to beg for mercy.

"Yuya, it's okay. Stand down," Reika commanded, gesturing for her to stop. Yuya's threatening expression changed instantly and she smiled at her. Obeying her Lady's commands, she held back her powers and took a step back.

Reika looked past the group and glanced at the depths of the dark forest. "Come out. Now." Her voice rang out loud and clear.

An assassin-like youkai soon emerged from the shadows of the tall trees, his completely black attire was what concealed him among the trees from their eyes. He carried a double ninja sword on his back and a mask covered his face except his dark blue eyes. His long, black hair fell past his shoulders. She could hear Yuya trying to control her squeals over such a handsome-looking man who was about to become part of their clan.

He stopped a few meters away from her. "What business do you have with me?" He asked quietly.

Reika sensed a good amount of Fear coming from this person and she knew that he was on par with her other followers. It seemed that rumors about him being a killer assassin was indeed true.

"I seek power... Power to rule this world alongside with my Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. And I want you to join us."

She waited for his answer patiently, knowing that he would agree soon. Who would be able to turn her down?

He stayed silent, obviously contemplating over his decision. A while later, he spoke out loud. "I have a condition, if you want me to join your group." He paused, but continued when she nodded her head. "I would like to test your strength, to see whether you are worthy to be my Lady that I have to serve under."

The others hissed in anger after hearing such bold words coming from his mouth, but Reika lifted a hand to hush them. Turning back to Kino, she agreed to his challenge.

The bystanders all moved out of their way, giving them a wide space to have their fight. Kino unsheathed his swords from their scabbards and stood in his fighting stance. However, unlike him, Reika didn't take out any weapons. All she did was to stand there and stare at him with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Before he could even make the first attack, she unleashed her Fear, sending tremors through every bodies. Darkness closed in on him and soon enough, he was engulfed in pitch black darkness. He couldn't see his opponent but he knew that she was still there. Right now, he was vulnerable while she has the upper hand and could kill him anytime.

Yes, he knew that he was defeated because he was in a state where his opponent's Fear overwhelmed his own. His body was responding to her Fear by breaking out in cold sweat. Placing his swords back to their scabbards, he admitted his defeat.

"I've lost the fight."

The darkness around him swirled before disappearing and the moonlight shone down at him once again. The crowd around them were both awed and nervous at the same time after watching the scene before them. Standing a few steps away from him was Reika, who looked satisfied with his words. "I commend your bravery for wanting to challenge me, even if you knew you weren't going to win," she complimented him.

"I welcome you, Kino, to our Yami Clan."

He went down on one knee with his head bowed in respect to her.

"With great honour, Lady Reika."

Over the next few months, Reika and her followers scoured through countries in search of other strong youkai to join their clan, just like how she found Kino. Her ambitious goal was to make her clan formidable and be feared by others. Someday, she thought, they would rule the world instead of the humans.

But first, she has to get rid of the Nura Clan. They were currently the strongest clan in the youkai world. She knew that they would intervene and fight for the humans. In fact, one of the reasons that she has decided to gather her own followers was simply because of her hatred towards them.

She was hoping to seek her revenge and vengeance on them. Her sufferings and torment when she stayed in that house suffocated her to the extent that she left on her own accord. But what happened after that was the real reason that drove her to this craving for revenge; her death.

She was _very_ curious to know how the Nura Clan would react when they finally find out that she has come back from hell.


	3. Chapter 3 Their Meeting

_The winter wind blew hard against her tiny humble home, shaking the roof a little. The freezing air made her tremble in the bitter cold despite covering herself in several layers of quilts. She lay on the futon, weak and alone. Her frail body no longer obeyed her and she could only stare straight at the old ceiling while her mind was flooded with many thoughts._

_An illness has invaded her body and she knew that she was dying soon. A youkai as weak as her wouldn't be able to survive long enough on her own in the outside world._

_Rihan..._

_Tears pricked her eyes when she thought of him. She missed him so much. Not a day has passed without her thinking about him, and she often wondered if he was doing well. _

_Back in the past, she was the one who would always welcome him home whenever Rihan went out to hunt down youkai. And she always made sure he eats well. Not only that, she was the one who would always cover the quilt over him properly again because he loved to kick it away during his sleep. Moreover, she would always let him sleep on her lap whenever he wanted to take a short nap. But now, without her by his side, who was doing all of these for him?_

_However, she didn't regret her decision of leaving him. What was the point of staying by his side when she wasn't doing a great job of being his wife? Neither could she bear a heir for him nor was she a strong youkai. She was obviously a burden that her husband had to shoulder. The elders in the Nura Clan weren't pleased with her and she frequently overheard them criticizing behind her back. Their words upset her but she knew that they spoke of the truth._

_She was useless and she didn't want poor Rihan to suffer because of her._

_And so, she left him. She made sure that she went to an isolated and faraway place where Rihan couldn't find her. She knew that he would be hurt a lot and the only thing she could do now was to pray that the wounds that she has inflicted on his heart would someday heal. Perhaps, he would meet somebody else who would be able to support and give him the happiness as well as bear him a child that she wasn't able to give him. She trusted that his loyal subordinates would support him and be there for him._

_Please, Rihan... Don't ever forgive me for hurting you..._

_"Otome-chan? Otome-chan? Are you in there?" A few seconds later, Setsura burst through the door, looking anxious and worried. When she saw Otome lying on the bed and looking terribly sick, she gasped in shock and ran to her side quickly._

_"Otome-chan!? Are you alright? What happened?" Setsura's cool fingers gripped hers tightly._

_"Ahh... You're finally here..." She could only manage to give her a weak smile but she was very happy to see Setsura after so many months. A few days ago, she had sent out a letter to her, asking for her to come, for she wanted somebody to help convey a message to Rihan. And only Setsura could travel in the snow easily._

_"Please..." Her feeble voice was so soft that Setsura has to lean down closer to hear her properly. _

_"There's something that I've to tell Rihan..." Otome's voice whispered into her ear._

_Her voice was faltering and she knew that her consciousness was fading away soon. But she must tell Rihan something before she regretted it. Using her last bit of energy, she spoke her last few words in her dying moment._

_"Please tell Rihan..."_

_My dear Rihan, I thank you for loving me in this life._

_"...that I'm sorry..." _

_And please, don't ever forgive me for hurting you._

_"...and..."_

_I will pray for your happiness and watch over you from the sky._

_"...I love him forever."_

_She closed her eyes and fell into a bottomless pit of darkness._

_Like a yamabuki flower, it was finally time for her to wither and die. _

* * *

The last light of the day disappeared from the horizon and the porcelain moonlight shone down at the town. Reika was strolling on the streets, unafraid of people seeing her. Well, to be exact, humans weren't able to see her because she has concealed her presence from them.

At long last, she has finally arrived at Ukiyoe.

A lot of things have changed over a couple of centuries ever since the last time she was here. She has ordered her subordinates, much to their reluctance, to come later because she wanted to check something out. And right now, she was alone and heading in a certain direction that was familiar to her and yet, it was no longer her home.

She was getting closer to the mansion that the Nura Clan lived in.

She walked past many fragile humans, who simply have no idea how oblivious they were to the darkness in this world. Imagine how they would react when the youkai would take over the world once again. They would certainly be terrified out of their wits.

She walked through a small forest, welcoming the silent and darkness. Even if youkai attacked her out of nowhere, she would be able to handle them easily. But there probably wouldn't be any, because she too, has concealed her Fear so that she would be able to enter the mansion secretly.

But what she didn't expect, was a small human boy to bump into her legs.

"Ow!" The little boy fell back and smacked on his bottoms while her body froze. The old her would definitely stop and pick him up immediately. But not her, she wouldn't do that now. Instead, she stared down at him with icy, cold eyes while a question was running through her mind at the same time.

Why was a little boy running in a forest alone?

The top half of his hair was brown, but the bottom half was black. He seemed to be around the age of four years old. Which crazy parents would let a four-year-old run out in the dark alone?

Quiet and calm, he didn't seem to be scared of her. She noticed that he was staring up at her with warm chocolate-brown eyes that were full of curiosity.

"Onee-chan, who are you?" he asked innocently. Reika stared back at him, wondering how she should reply him.

In her mind, she decided that she should play nice instead.

Kneeling down in front of him, she picked him up and patted off the dirty soil and dead leaves from his pants. "I'm sorry. Onee-chan didn't see you since it was too dark," she apologized. However, he kept staring at her, as though hypnotized by her beauty.

What an innocent and naive child... He didn't know that she was a dangerous youkai. In his eyes, she appeared to be just a pretty teenager girl.

"I'm lost," she lied to him. "I've no idea where is this place. Can you tell me where I'm?" she asked him sweetly. Hearing her words, his face broke into a cute grin.

"Sure! We're very close to my house." He pointed with his tiny fingers in the direction of the Nura House. When he did that, her heart nearly stopped.

_Impossible_, she thought. _A human living in a mansion full of youkai?_

But then again, she reminded herself that the Nura Clan wouldn't mind living with humans. Rihan was born after Nurarihyon married a female human. So, this shouldn't be surprising at all.

"Can you please take me to your house? I would like to ask for directions from your parents," she asked him nicely again.

"Of course!" he replied excitedly. He grabbed her hand and held onto it while leading her to his house. She hated him holding her hand but she decided to endure it.

Their light and quick steps took them to the pathway that led to the Nura House. She stopped for a moment to take in the full view of the back entrance of the ancient, yet beautiful mansion. To her surprise, everything was exactly the same.

"Wait here, I'll go get Daddy!" The little boy ran into the house quickly while she stared after his back. She was very curious to know whose child he was.

Over here, she could see yamabuki flowers that she used to always gazed at with Rihan. She stepped forward slowly, until the sweet smell of the flowers hit her nose and she stopped.

_So much memories... Both painful and happy ones..._

It was such a nostalgic feeling to be standing here, where she had spent fifty years of her previous life here. But it was soon replaced with fury that was boiling within her. She hasn't forgotten her motive for being here.

Hearing laughter from behind her, she knew that the little boy was back and that he has brought someone along with him.

"So, who is this pretty Onee-chan that you are speaking of, Rikuo?" A familiar, deep voice asked the boy.

Reika recognized the voice instantly. Her body stiffened when it dawned on her who the boy's father really was.

"Hey, Onee-chan! I've brought my Daddy here!" The boy, who was called Rikuo, shouted and waved at her.

This was what she has wanted to find out, right?

With a glacial smile on her face, she turned around slowly to face both the father and son. An extremely handsome youkai, wearing a kimono with green and white stripes, stood beside the human boy. He was holding little Rikuo's hand.

A few seconds of silence passed as Reika and Rikuo's father locked eyes. He looked extremely bewildered to see her appearance as recognition lit up in his amber eyes. His mouth opened to form a name that she detested a lot and hasn't heard anyone calling her that for such a long time.

"...O-Otome?"

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**Reviews, pretty please? :) **


	4. Chapter 4 Two Person, Identical Looks

**A big fat thank you to those who left reviews for my first three chapters! You guys are just so AWESOME! *blows kisses***

**WARNING: Get your tissues ready for the final flashback scene!**

* * *

_"...what?"_

_Mind in a state of shock, he couldn't believe what he had just heard._

_"What did you...just say?" His voice quavered as he stared at her with unblinking eyes. _

_Hanging her head in shame and guilt, Setsura swallowed hard in an attempt to remove the lump that was wedged tightly in her throat. _Her hands were resting on her knees and her nails dug into her skin. She kneeled before him, her shoulders drooped and her body hunched forward. Her wavy hair acted as a curtain, hiding her face from Rihan. She_ was trembling in fear as she prepared herself for the worst to come. She knew that he would definitely be extremely mad and disappointed in her._

_But still, she has to say it sooner or later._

_Lifting her head up slowly, her eyes met Rihan's. Those eyes of his looked very much like a child that was hurt badly. She couldn't bear to see him torturing himself anymore. He has suffered so much while trying to find his lover and yet, he didn't know that his efforts were fruitless._

_It was finally time to end this._

_Mustering up her courage, she delivered the tragic news to Rihan. _

_"Otome-chan... She has passed away..."_

__His body flinched violently once before freezing in complete shock after hearing the words that came as a bombshell from Setsura's mouth. A wave of emotions washed over his face - hurt, anger, pain, misery and guilt. His heartbeat and breathing were becoming erratic. His hands that were hanging loosely by his sides, balled into fists angrily.__

__He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to steady himself. There was an important question that he needed to ask her before he lost his cool.__

__"When did she..." __

__His trembling voice cracked as he forced the words out of his mouth. However, he couldn't manage to say out the last word because a part of him wanted to deny that whatever Setsura had just said was merely a falsity. He wanted to believe that Otome was still alive out there, waiting for him to come for her.__

__"I-it was some time before Edo became Tokyo," Setsura confessed contritely. Her nails dug into her pale skin even harder, drawing a little blood. Hearing her words, ____Rihan's eyes widened in absolute shock.__

__"But that was so many years ago..." His voice faltered, unable to think straight. His mind was in a turmoil. All those years that he spent searching for Otome were in vain?__

__He stood up suddenly, a shadow crossed his face. "What a bad joke, Nee-san..." His voice lacked emotions as he spoke to her. He waited for her response, but there was no intention of her agreeing with whatever he had just said because ____Setsura looked away and remained silent. __

__This made him feel even worse. The truth was like a slap in his face.__

____"Why... Why are you telling me about this only now?" His hands and body started to shake uncontrollably as he could no longer remain calm. Setsura closed her eyes as she braced herself for what was going to happen next. ____

____"Why, Nee-san? Why? WHY!?"____

____He screamed loudly. Triggered by his emotions, his Fear was unleashed and the whole room exploded. The tremors from the deafening explosion shook the ground like an earthquake.____

____He shut his eyes, Fear emitting off from his body. Setsura stared up at him with wide, fearful eyes. ________When he reopened his eyes slowly, she gasped in extreme terror.____

____His scleras, no longer the usual white, were a dangerous black color. His irises were glowing a mysterious amber color. Staring straight into his fearsome eyes ran shivers down her spine and left her body immobilized.____

____"Rihan-" ____

____His large hands shot towards her neck unexpectedly and choked her. Air was cut off from her lungs as he gripped even tighter. ____

____"Setsura... How dare you..." he growled threateningly. He could break her neck in a second if he wanted to. How could she hide the truth from him for such a long time? He trusted her so much.____

____However, ________Setsura said the one thing that he never expected her to say. ____

____Smiling bitterly at him, she choked out her words sadly. "It's alright... I don't mind dying by your hands." She paused for air when he loosened his grip on her neck a little after her words took him by surprise.____

_"But... Otome-chan wanted me to tell you one last thing." _

_ Rihan froze and his heart pounded louder and louder. Time seemed to have stopped as he waited for her to continue. _

_Taking a deep breath, Setsura whispered, "she said, 'I love you'."_

_Her words reverberated in his mind before sinking into his broken heart. He released his hold on her neck and took a step back. Setsura coughed and spluttered as air entered her lungs again. _

_When she stopped coughing, she finally noticed a few drops of water splattering on the wooden floor and looked up in atonishment._

_Rihan was...crying? _

_His glistening eyes stared back at her in hurt as burning tears streamed down his cheeks unrelentlessly. All those years of loneliness, sorrow and pain gushed out of him finally. He fell to his knees, bawling in great pain. He buried his face into Setsura's shoulder when she went forward to hug him. A shaft of moonlight shone down on them as they both cried and grieved over the loss of his wife. His fingers clutched at his chest as his heart ached in pain for her._

_Otome... My darling... _

_Why did you have to die? You have done nothing wrong to deserve this... __This is all my fault. __I'm so sorry..._

_If my words can reach you wherever you are, I want you to know that..._

_...I love you so much._

* * *

Rihan sat under the beautiful cherry blossoms trees with his current human wife, Wakana. He sipped from his sake cup as he watched his child played with his subordinates happily. The Nura House was noisy and lively, just like any other day.

"Rikuo! Don't give them such a hard time, okay?" Wakana, who was sitting beside him, called out to their son. Rikuo grinned back at them cheekily before running off and pulling pranks on poor Kubinashi, Tsurara and the others again. She shook her head while laughing at him. Whenever Rikuo was out to have his fun, nothing could stop him.

"He takes after you, Wakana," Rihan said teasingly. He held out his sake cup gratefully when she poured him another drink. Rikuo's features resembled his mother more than him.

Although they were both humans, their existence and warm smiles brought a lot of life and happiness back into this house. He was very grateful to have both of them in his life. And of course, he loved them to bits.

"Ara ara, he takes after you, Rihan. Not me," she teased him back. "Just like you, Rikuo likes to bully poor Kubinashi-kun and the rest."

He smiled back at her. She has a point there. In some ways, Rikuo resembled him, but just not in terms of looks.

Wakana headed back into the house, saying that she has to help Kejoro with the laundry or something. He was left on his own and continued to drink sake. At some point of time, Rikuo has decided to make them play hide-and-seek with him. Rihan chuckled at the sight of Tsurara facing the tree and covering her eyes. Unfortunately, she has been chosen by Rikuo as the "It" again. The rest of them scattered off in different directions to hide when Tsurara started counting.

A pink petal fluttered down slowly and landed in his sake cup. He stared at it, watching the reflection of the breathtaking cherry blossoms in his drink. It brought a sense of tranquililty over him, reminding him of his deceased human mother, who had passed away a few centuries ago. He missed her a lot and it was a pity that she couldn't get to see her grandchild.

Setting down the sake cup, he lay back on the grass and gazed up at the dazzling night sky and cherry blossoms. A breeze ruffled his long, black hair. He was enjoying the captivating view when after a few minutes, he felt a little drowsy. _A nap,_ he thought to himself. _I'll take a short nap. _He shut his eyes slowly, before lapsing into a peaceful sleep.

"It's time to wake up, Rihan."

Rihan stirred slightly when he heard a silky, female voice calling his name. Or was he imagining things?

_Otome?_

"...Daddy?"

Someone shook his shoulders. "Wake up, Daddy!"

A child-like voice shouted into his ears. He felt someone poking in his side to get him to wake up. It took him a moment to realize that he had probably dreamed of Otome again. Groaning a little, he pried open one eye and realized that it was just his son. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted.

Rikuo sat on top of his chest, pulling at his kimono. "Wakey wakey!" he exclaimed. "Daddy, you've to come with me! Now!"

Rihan frowned at his excitement. "Why?" he asked curiously.

Excited, Rikuo flapped his hands in the air. "Because there's this pretty Onee-chan who's lost!"

Onee-chan? Lost? And wasn't Rikuo supposed to be playing hide-and-seek with the others?

Rikuo got off his chest and pulled at his hand. Rihan stood up slowly and allowed him to drag him to wherever he wanted to go. He was perplexed by his son's behaviour.

"Daddy! This Onee-chan is really pretty and nice! She's lost and she wants to ask for directions," Rikuo enthused. "Can I get her to play with me before she leaves?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure," Rihan replied while laughing. "If she wants to."

After walking a while more, Rikuo suddenly stopped and this was when he finally noticed that he actually brought him to the garden at the back of the mansion.

"So, who is this pretty Onee-chan that you are speaking of, Rikuo?"

Rikuo responded by pointing his fingers in the direction of the flowers and Rihan's eyes followed. His eyes roamed across the lovely yamabuki flowers and a familiar aching feeling filled his chest instantly.

And then, he saw her. The ravishing Onee-chan that Rikuo was speaking of. She was standing close to the flowers and staring at it intently, oblivious to their presence.

"Hey, Onee-chan! I've brought my Daddy here!" Rikuo, who was beside him, shouted across and waved at her. She stiffened slightly after hearing his voice, but looked up afterwards.

When she turned around, Rihan swore that his heart nearly stopped.

Raven hair with pale skin, she was clad in an all-black outfit - long-sleeved rompers, flats and thigh-length socks. But what surprised him the most, was that she was a splitting image of his beloved Otome. They both have the same lips, hair, noses and skin color. She was a youkai too, and he knew it from sensing her youkai aura.

_No way, _he thought._ Nee-san told me that she was dead..._

"O-Otome?" he asked hesitantly. Tears were threatening to prick his eyes and his body started to tremble a little. If it was really her...

She frowned and smiled at him before replying. "No. My name is Hanako, not Otome. You must have mistaken me for somebody else."

Hanako? So, she wasn't Otome? His heart fell and a part of him was disappointed. But what could possibly explain her identical features to his Otome? They were so alike. Even her voice! It was Otome's voice.

She stepped closer to them. Upon taking a closer look, he realized that there was really one thing different about her.

Her eyes, it was a ruby color. Otome's eyes were black, not red.

Was he really mistaken? Was this really not his Otome?

"I was lost in the forest, but I bumped into Rikuo-chan and he was very kind to bring me here," Hanako started explaining to him her situation. Rihan listened to her intently and his eyes were fixed on her. His heart has been aching to see Otome and hear her voice for so many years. And now, standing a few metres away from him, was an identical-looking girl.

He finally spoke after staring at her for so long. "Which clan do you belong to?" he questioned her.

Her smile faded. "I do not belong to any clan," she answered. "I'm merely a lowly youkai who's searching for my father. My mother has passed away a few years ago." She paused to cough a little.

"And your father? Have you found him?" Rihan asked her. She sighed deeply and shook her head sadly.

"No. It's difficult to find him since my mother refused to give me his name before she passed on. I didn't know where to start looking either." She coughed once more and shivered slightly as a gust of wind blew against her slim body.

"Are you alright? Are you, perhaps, sick?" Rihan felt himself growing worried and concerned for her.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I think I'm a little sick from all the traveling."

"If you don't mind, you can stay at our house for a couple of days until you're well enough to look for your father again," he offered. There was no harm in letting a young girl stayed in their house. She didn't seem to be an evil youkai anyway.

Hanako's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? But wouldn't I be imposing on your family?"

"No, you wouldn't. I insist on you staying with us," he said. He gave her an encouraging look and after a while, she replied him with a grateful nod.

"Thank you very much, etto..."

He chuckled a little and finished her sentence for her. "Nura Rihan. That's my name." She beamed up at him, her eyes full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Rihan-sama. I'm in your debt."

A second later, Rikuo tugged at his hand and asked, "does this means that I get to play with her?" Rihan looked down at him, feeling very bad because he has forgotten that his son was there too. Hanako answered for him and promised Rikuo that she would play with him when she was feeling better. He grinned happily at her.

Rihan, too, smiled at her and hastened her to get into his house to warm herself up. She obliged and took a couple of steps forward. However, she stopped in her tracks, as though she has thought of something, and turned back to look at the yamabuki flowers.

Rihan furrowed his brow in curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Hanako spoke a few seconds later with a wistful smile on her face. "These yamabuki flowers... They reminded me of my mother. She loved them so much..."

"And she was the one who named me 'Hanako', which means 'flower girl'."

Rihan blinked a couple of times as his brain registered whatever she had just said. A few things clicked into place as he observed her appearance once more.

Hanako... Was she Otome's daughter?


	5. Chapter 5 Anger and Jealousy

Fire.

Everywhere was on fire.

Her heart, mind, body, everywhere.

It was thrashing against her insides like a wild beast on the loose. She was so furious that she nearly wanted to reveal her real identity and set ablaze the whole entire Nura House on flames.

Dammit, how could he...

_He has a child? A second wife too? Moreover, a human!?_

She was extremely pissed off. By the looks of it, Rihan was apparently leading a much _more _happier life than what she was expecting. What was she to him then? In his heart, was she no more than a useless wife? He got over her so quickly and found himself a new wife because she couldn't bear him a heir?

Didn't he truly love her?

She couldn't believe she actually loved him so much in her previous life. Even when criticisms were made and the elders were so stern towards her, she endured for fifty long years because of her love for her husband._ Ex-husband, _she corrected. She remembered reproaching herself then for not being able to give birth.

When Rihan called her old name, there was this weird feeling in her heart. It was as though her feelings of love and affection for him that she have buried deep in her heart threatened to resurface. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not, but she heard his voice trembled with emotions when he saw her. There was a look of pain in his eyes too. Her name rolled off his tongue like it was the most natural thing to do in the world.

Could she somehow...be wrong about him?

_Reika_, a voice at the back of her head jerked her away from her careless thoughts. _Remember what he had done to you..._

_Cast away your feelings and bear only grudges in your heart. _

_Hatred, they will make you stronger..._

_But feelings are dangerous enough to destroy you.  
_

The warning in her head slammed her back to reality. That's right, she mustn't let herself wavered over Rihan and lost sight of her goal. She wasn't here to get him back, but to seek her revenge.

Unlike her old self, her current self was stronger and smarter. She was no longer the weak and foolish girl she once was.

She was going to make the Nura Clan pay for what they did to her.

Before she reached Ukiyoe, her initial plan was to sneak into the mansion and take a good look at Rihan and the elders just out of curiosity and perhaps, leave a small warning, before she led her clan on with the fight against the Nura Clan. But that little brat actually foiled her plans. His baby skin reeked of the human scent and this made her even more mystified. When she finally found out whose child he was, it added on to her anger and a new plan started forming in her mind. She smirked to herself inwardly.

She was intending to stir up confusion and trouble in his family, and flip the whole mansion upside down during her stay.

Besides, she was already starting to have her fun - by giving a fake name to Rihan, lying to him about her parents, pretending to be ill just so she could enter the mansion. She was wondering how he would react if he was starting to harbour suspicions that she might be his child. Would he treasure her even more than Rikuo? Did he realize that if she was his child, her blood contained three-fourths of youkai blood as compared to his human son, who has only a pathetic one-fourth of youkai blood in him?

It would definitely be interesting to find out his thoughts about her.

"...Nidaime, who is this girl?"

Reika recognized the familiar voice, it was Kubinashi's. He, along with Kejoro, Kurotabou, Aotabou and the rest, appeared right before them just as she, Rihan and Rikuo stepped foot into the mansion. She noticed that there wasn't much change in their looks over the years. They were still the same old bunch of lively people.

As they stared at her, the glint of curiosity in their eyes instantly changed to shock. They gaped at her with their jaws dropped while Reika just slipped on her acting mask and gave them a confused blank stare. But of course, she knew exactly why they were reacting like this. There were unfamiliar youkai there too, which she assumed that they must have joined the clan after her demise. They just shot her curious looks but nothing more than that.

As for those who have stayed in the Nura Clan long enough to know Otome, their reactions were simply exaggerating. She wasn't granted the power to read minds, but she could tell from the looks on their faces what exactly was running through their minds. They were scared stiff because they thought that they were seeing an apparition of Otome's ghost. Her chilling ruby eyes made them even more frightened.

All of them opened their mouths and spoke at the same time;

"Oh my..."

"O-O-tome?"

"No way!"

Kubinashi, Kejoro and Kurotabou gasped in shock at her. But the one with the biggest reaction was Aotabou, who was already shrieking his head off.

"Yikes! A GHOST-"

Rihan interrupted their absurd reactions. "Calm down, you guys. She's called Hanako and she'll be staying with us for a few days. Treat our guest nicely, will ya?"

Hearing their commander's words, they calmed down a little. However, they kept shooting her skeptical looks and scanning her from head to toe in disbelief. She gave them a small smile.

"Tsurara-chan, can you show her to the guest room?" Rihan ordered one of his servants before turning back to Reika. He flashed one of his signature smiles at her that always sent females blushing.

But not her, she wasn't going to fall for that anymore.

A Yuki-Onna with large, amber eyes that have multiple rings in them, came up towards her with a warm, welcoming smile. Her hair was a mix of black, blue and white colors with two wavy black horizontal markings. Her appearance very much reminded her of Setsura, and Reika wondered if Tsurara was her daughter.

This reminded her, where was Setsura? She hasn't seen her anywhere.

"Please follow me, Hanako-chan!" Tsurara offered a friendly smile, albeit a little guarded towards the stranger whom her commander has brought back. She gestured to Reika to follow her as she would lead the way to the guest room.

Before Reika left with her, she turned back to look at Rihan once more, who smiled at her charmingly. She forced a grateful smile on her face, hoping that it looked convincing. At the same time, she noticed that the rest were giving him a look of complete incomprehension. She was certain that they were going to bombard Rihan with a million questions after making sure that she wasn't able to hear them.

One side of her mouth pulled up slightly in a small smirk. She was wondering how would Rihan handle their questions and confusion.

A small tug on her rompers made her jerk her head downwards to look at the small figure who was walking beside her. She frowned at him, puzzled. Why was he sticking to her so much?

He looked up at her with a playful smile and made a "teehee" sound. Tsurara turned around immediately when she heard his voice.

"Rikuo-sama! You can't pull a lady's clothes!" Tsurara scolded him, but not in a harsh manner. Rikuo just grinned at her before turning to grin at Reika.

Tsurara brought them to one of the guest rooms located at the east side of the mansion. She lit the candles in the shoji lamps and lay out a futon on the tatami floor properly. Turning back to Reika, she spoke to her politely. "Please make yourself comfortable here. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to tell me."

"Oh yes, have you eaten dinner? Would you like something to eat?" Tsurara asked. Reika shook her head and smiled gratefully at her. She wasn't hungry at all.

"Rest well, Hanako-chan."

"Thank you so much, Tsurara-chan."

Tsurara gripped Rikuo's hand, who was whining something about wanting to play with Reika. "Hanako-chan needs her rest, Rikuo-sama. And it's going to be your bed time soon. You can play tomorrow instead..." She pulled him out of the room with her and closed the shoji doors.

Silence filled the air and Reika welcomed it gladly. It was a pain to pull fake smiles for so long and her cheeks ached. She walked over to the shoji window and opened it to let the cool wind blew in. Since there was nothing for her to do now, she lay on the futon in an attempt to sleep.

But she couldn't. She was wide awake, probably because staying in this mansion made her remember a lot of stuff that she didn't want to.

Half an hour later, she sat up and threw the covers aside, making her way out of the room. She didn't want to stay in the room any longer and decided to take a stroll in the garden.

The cherry blossoms trees were still there like how she remembered, its beauty never failed to captivate people and took their breath away. Rihan would always talk about his mother and she would hear stories about Yohime from Nurarihyon too.

But not anymore. The beauty of flowers, or rather, the beauty of this world was no longer her definition of the word, 'beauty'. The _true_ beauty actually lies somewhere in the near future, where darkness reigned supreme instead and light was extinguished completely.

She was excited for she simply couldn't wait for that day to finally come.

She stood there for a while, gazing at the cherry blossoms and the inky blackness of the night sky dotted with glittery stars, before making her way to the yamabuki garden. This was the only thing she could do to kill time here. Most of the youkai have returned to their rooms so there wasn't any need for her to pretend or anything.

When she walked past one of the rooms, she stopped abruptly. The shoji doors were closed halfway but she could hear soft voices coming from inside there. She recognized one of the voices, it was Rihan's.

"...he's asleep finally."

"Shh... Don't wake him..."

A woman's voice?

She stepped closer, making sure that her footsteps were quiet. She was curious to know whoever was with Rihan. When she was nearer, she looked through the gap in between the shoji doors.

A dim orange glow from the shoji lamp lit up the room. Rikuo was asleep with his arms outstretched above his head. There were two people sitting at the side of his futon, watching him as he slept. She recognized the bigger figure because of his long, gravity-defying hair that protruded out of his head. And she realized, that an arm of his was wrapped around the shoulders of a smaller and delicate figure.

It was a woman with short hair. And...she was obviously Rihan's human wife.

Reika's blood boiled as she stared at the loving couple. She has this sudden urge to split them both apart and destroy their relationship. Destroy their family. Destroy the whole Nura Clan. This feeling... It wasn't really anger, it was something else. Something that she hasn't felt before.

Feeling a sense of betrayal, she felt her heart turned hard and icy cold. Another layer of unbreakable wall was starting to form around her heart.

_Look closely, Reika. _

_Take a good look at him._

_He's the man that killed you._

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**...EXAMS ARE OVER! HOHOHO! HERE COMES HOLIDAY! WHEEE! *twirls around the room excitedly* More time for writing, reading, watching dramas and hanging out! **

**Many thanks to Rose Rain 7 for the request of RihanxWakana moment. Gosh, a jealous Hanako! Wait, I mean Reika. Oh hang on a second, she's Otome... Arghhh whatever they are one same person! *smacks my forehead***

**Here's a shoutout to those who left reviews on my wall! (I'll be doing this for every five chapters.) There are 12 reviews now! ****Words can't describe how much I'm grateful towards you guys for sharing with me your thoughts and feelings on this fanfic. It has definitely helped me a lot in coming up with ideas to make this interesting! **

**QueenDeeDee, Hell Vanguard, Rose Rain 7, little lily(guest), JasminDragon92, a random person(guest), vampireprincess141**

**And of course, I'll be waiting for more readers to review my story! *crosses fingers***


	6. Chapter 6 Trouble Befalls

**I could have posted this earlier but I was kinda having a mind block for this chapter. T.T Gahhh I hate mind blocks, I can't think properly. In return for taking a little longer than usual, here's a longer chapter! Do tell me what you think of this please!**

* * *

"...no, you can't go in!"

"Why not?"

"Because she's still asleep!"

"I'll wake her up then!"

Loud noises outside the room roused Reika from her sleep. She looked up groggily and frowned at the unfamiliar room that she was in. Feeling a little disoriented, it took her a few seconds to remember what had happened yesterday and why exactly was she staying in the Nura House.

_Ahhh... Is it morning already? _She only managed to fall asleep a few hours later after she got back to her room last night. The image of Rihan and his wife kept flashing through her head repeatedly, which absolutely irked her.

When she could still hear the noises outside, she got out of bed quickly and put on proper clothes that were already prepared for her before walking to the shoji doors. When she slid them open, she wasn't surprised to see Rikuo standing outside with a small natto-looking youkai.

"What're you guys doing?" she asked them curiously. To her, they both sounded like they were debating over something. The youkai must have heard things from the others because he only looked slightly taken aback at her appearance. He has stayed with the Nura Clan for about four hundred years already and of course, this meant that he knew about Otome.

"Onee-chan, ohayou! We were waiting for you!" Rikuo exclaimed at the same time when the youkai beside him mumbled "nothing". She raised both eyebrows at them questioningly.

"I-I'm Natto Kozo!" the tiny creature spoke up and introduced himself. "Yuki-Onna wants us to bring you to the dining room once you're awake."

"Oh, thanks," Reika replied. Smelling a foul odour, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She knew exactly where it was coming from...

Coughing once, Natto Kozo straightened his back and announced loudly, "I may stink, but I'm actually friendly-"

Without wasting a second, Rikuo stepped towards her and slipped his hand in hers before dragging her along with him, leaving a very annoyed Natto Kozo behind. What an impatient boy Rikuo was, but she was silently grateful towards him for saving her from the dumb speech that the half-witted youkai was saying.

When Rikuo brought her to the dining room, most of the youkai in the Nura House were already there. The room was actually big enough to fit hundreds of people in. Servants entering the room were carrying trays of scrumptious food and serving the rest of the youkai.

The loud and animated chatterings were overwhelming for her. If it wasn't for Rikuo's hand holding hers, she would have backed out of the room immediately. Taking a few steps into the room, she was aware that a couple of youkai have started to notice her presence. They turned to their partners and started whispering into their ears while staring at her. The chatterings died slowly and murmurs went through the room instead. All eyes were eventually on her as more youkai noticed her.

"Who is she?"

"She looked like the Nidaime's late wife..."

"Seriously?"

She ignored their stares and her eyes scanned through the crowd for a certain someone.

Apparently, she didn't have to look because Rikuo dragged her to where his parents were, ignorant to whatever was happening around him. She spotted the person that she was looking for. He was sitting at the centre of the room with a _woman_.

Since it wasn't nighttime now, Reika was able to see clearly how Rihan's wife looked like. She was just an average-looking female with brown eyes and short hair. Wearing a light yellow yukata, the image of a yakuza wife didn't really fit her well. She was setting down a food tray and speaking to Rihan with a bright smile on her face. Even if Reika was looking at her from a distance away, anyone could tell that there was an aura of cheerfulness around Rikuo's mother.

"Mommy and Daddy! Look who I've brought!" Rikuo called out excitedly. The couple looked up instantly and smiled at them, especially Wakana. Her radiant smile was starting to annoy Reika. She forced herself to relax and put on her best smile.

"Ohayou gozaimasu to you both," Rikuo's mother greeted them warmly as they sat down. Her eyes shifted from Rikuo to Reika. "Ara, you must be dear Hanako-chan! Rikuo was right, you are very pretty! I'm so glad that the kimono looks good on you too!"

Reika thanked her politely for the compliment. The "proper clothes" that she was currently wearing, was a plain black kimono with a pattern of pink lotus flowers on it. It probably looked nice on her partly because of her pale skin and red eyes.

"I'm Wakana. Nice to meet you, Hanako-chan! I hope you're feeling much better-" From the corner of her eyes, Wakana saw her son trying to hold the chopsticks correctly with his small fingers, but gave up and attempted to eat with his hands. "-ah, Rikuo! Before you eat, did you wash your hands?" She turned around to help him and all her attention was fixed on Rikuo now. This left Rihan and Reika sitting alone.

"Are you feeling any better, Hanako?" Rihan's voice was laced with concern and worry. Reika turned to look at him before replying. His gravity-defying hair fell past his shoulders in his human form in a low ponytail and both of his eyes were opened now. In his youkai form, only his left eye was opened.

"Yes, I'm feeling better."

He threw her a doubtful look. "You don't look fine at all. Didn't you manage to get a good sleep last night?"

_Obviously I didn't. No thanks to you. _

She cleared her throat and answered him quickly. "I'm really fine. Perhaps I'm not completely well yet." She flashed him a demure smile, hoping that he would just let it go.

Surprisingly, he did. He picked up his cup and drank from it, a thoughtful look crossing his face. She stared at him cautiously, wondering if he suspected that she was lying all along.

He placed his cup on the tray slowly. "Can I ask something?" His voice was hesitant and careful.

Reika nodded her head, puzzled. What was he going to question her?

"Your mother... What was she like?" he asked quietly.

She stayed silent and thought hard, her mind searching for the right words to say so that she wouldn't slip out anything that might gave away her real identity.

"My mother was a gentle and beautiful ayakashi. She loved yamabuki flowers so much that she would often bring me to a small garden that was close to our house to see them." She let out a wistful smile on her face. "It was just me and my mother living together in our humble house."

Hearing her words, Rihan remained quiet. But he spoke again after a few seconds.

"May I ask for her name? If there's anything I know about her, I can help you to look for your father," he spoke seriously and earnestly. He seemed desperate to know about her mother's name. His hands were clenched tightly and his hopeful eyes stared straight into hers.

_No_, _you may not. _She wanted him to suffer and die in suspense. However, if she didn't want to tell him, wouldn't he start to get suspicious?

Before she could reply him, they were interrupted by her savior, Tsurara, who brought Reika her meal. "Sorry for making you wait. How are you feeling, Hanako-chan? Nidaime has told us about your situation," Tsurara said to her. Reika, who was relieved from being freed from Rihan, started answering her lively to avoid looking at him. Even Rikuo helped her unknowingly by coming over to her and staring at the tamagoyaki on her tray hungrily. She resisted the impulse to roll her eyes at him and shared her food with him instead.

While chewing on her food, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Rihan was silently staring at her intently with a weird look in his eyes. There wasn't a chance for him to speak to her when Rikuo, Tsurara and his wife were around them. However, she knew that he would definitely ask her a second time privately where no one could interrupt them.

When they were halfway through their meal, Karasu Tengu appeared beside Rihan suddenly and spoke quietly to him. "Nidame, my apologies for interrupting you during your meal..."

Rihan stopped eating and placed his chopsticks on the tray. As they spoke to each other, their faces were strained. Reika chewed on her food slowly while trying to listen in on their conversation. Her eyes focused on her food so that nobody would realize what she was actually trying to do. Karasu Tengu's voice sounded urgent and serious.

"Gagoze Alliance and Jorogumo Clan have left our clan and joined the Yami Clan instead," Karasu Tengu reported.

This was a piece of good news for Reika and she was pleased. Her clan was growing bigger and stronger, like what she wanted. She trusted that her subordinates would handle themselves well in her absence.

Rihan sighed and folded his arms into the sleeves of his haori, a habit that he always did whenever he was thinking carefully about something. "I'm aware that they weren't always happy with us for siding with the humans, but I never expected them to be traitors." An unhappy look crossed his face.

"The Yami Clan... Any idea who's their leader?" he asked Karasu Tengu.

Reika stopped chewing instantly as she waited to hear Karasu Tengu's response. If they did know that the Yami Clan's leader was her, she was prepared to fight them.

"Apparently, it's a woman," Karasu Tengu began saying. Reika found her body stiffened after hearing his words.

"However, it doesn't seem to be Hagoromo Gitsune because none of her loyal followers are in the Yami Clan. They wouldn't serve anybody else besides her. But the Yami Clan's leader has been gathering her own followers, all strong youkai, from all places for over the past few months."

Rihan narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips in a thin line. "I want a confirmation of that," he ordered. "If it's really another youkai and not Hagoromo Gitsune, I want a description of her appearance too."

His loyal subordinate obeyed and bowed deeply before leaving. Rihan clearly wasn't in the mood to continue eating as he sat there deep in his thoughts. The look on his face simply told Reika that he would definitely be leaving the Nura House soon to investigate on his own. Probably at evening, though, when he was in his youkai form. This has frequently happened in the past too, where Rihan would disappear for a couple of days, or sometimes even months, to look into situations that have arisen in the Nura Clan.

After finishing their meal, Reika was forced to keep Rikuo accompany because he was pestering her non-stop. When she looked around to search for Rihan, he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he has left to discuss the issue with the others.

She spent the rest of the day with Rikuo at the courtyard - watching him pulled pranks on others and playing games with him. His demand for her attention was just too much for her and she found herself helpless around him. After what seemed like eternity, Tsurara tried to persuade him to let Reika rest and head back to her room. But this actually caused Rikuo to throw a tantrum unexpectedly.

He made an angry noise before wrapping his arms and legs around her left leg, clinging onto her. A moment of silence passed before Tsurara started shrieking loudly and hurriedly tried to pull him off her. But Rikuo wasn't bugging to let go.

Reika was... Well, she was dumbfounded. She didn't know how to react except to stand there helplessly as she watched the two wrestled beside her like little kids. It was a torture for her and she hoped that her leg didn't get itself detached from her body. Rikuo was very strong for a four-year-old kid.

"Hmm, what do we have here?"

A hoarse male voice interrupted them. All three heads turned to look at a short old man with eyes that held mischief but wisdom. His bald head protuded from the backwards from his face, like a gourd.

_Nurarihyon! _

Reika was stupefied by his looks. He has aged so terribly much and his appearance changed greatly. He used to be so much more taller and handsome, but old age has reduced him to this pitiful state. She only recognized him because of his eyes and the way he spoke.

Rikuo released her when he saw his grandfather and dashed towards him instead. She heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for being freed. Tsurara greeted Nurarihyon while he was ruffling his grandson's hair happily.

"Where did you go, Grandpa?" Rikuo asked.

Nurarihyon beamed at him and petted his head. "I went to check out something. It's nothing big." And then he turned his head to look at Reika intrigueingly. "Who's this beautiful young lady?" he asked.

Tsurara stepped forward and explained to him everything. As he listened, he nodded his head thoughtfully and scanned Reika from head to toe. His piercing eyes met hers and he studied her impassively for quite a while. Nurarihyon wasn't just an average old man. He was clever and it was hard to figure out what he was thinking. He was starting to make her feel a little nervous.

She returned his stare back. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

His face broke out into a smile and masked whatever he was thinking earlier. "No, no. I was just captivated by your looks. You just look very much like someone I used to know." His eyes twinkled with amusement.

She threw him a blank look. "If I may ask, who's this person that I resembled to? Everyone has been giving me weird looks."

He paused a little before speaking again. "It's just someone who used to belong to the Nura Clan. No worries, child." He waved the subject away. "Anyway, do you guys want some sweets?" He changed the topic and showed them the bag of candies that he was carrying. Reika shook her head and turned down his offer politely. She wanted to know what he was actually thinking. Did he suspect anything?

Nurarihyon smiled at them once again before he left and headed into the house, leaving the three of them alone. Reika looked down at Rikuo, wondering why was he so quiet. But it turned out that he was actually pondering over what game to play next. She took the golden opportunity immediately to make her escape.

She coughed and rasped, her hands clutching her chest painfully. It was probably convincing because Rikuo's face scrunched up with worry. Tsurara came towards her to pat her back a few times.

"You should really rest, Hananko-chan. Right, Rikuo-sama?" Her voice hinted at him.

Rikuo gave a small nod. He was obviously disappointed but didn't want to whine any further. Reika promised to play with him the next again and faked a smile at the poor child before retreating to her room. Thankfully, he didn't make a move to follow her this time.

As the sun set, the previously blue sky was now streaked with beautiful colors of red and orange. Reika realized that time passed very quickly when she was spending time with Rikuo. She was on her way back to her room when she bumped into Rihan unexpectedly.

He was sitting on the veranda alone, lost in his thoughts. His black and silky hair was now back to defying gravity. He didn't even notice her coming up from behind him until she sat down beside him.

"Is there something wrong, Rihan-sama?"

Startled by her sudden appearance, he turned towards her with wide eyes, but relaxed when he realized that it was only her. "Nothing," he replied solemnly. When she casted him a worried look, he decided to tell the truth.

"Fine, there's something bothering me. But you don't have to worry about it, I'll handle it somehow." He sighed deeply. Reika nodded her head and turned to look forward. The both of them gazed at the sunset silently for a couple of minutes.

This feeling... It was as though she has traveled back to her past. She and Rihan would always sit together and enjoy the view. But right now, things were completely different. She didn't love him anymore like how she did before she died.

She glanced at Rihan and stopped breathing, realizing that he was watching her. How long has he been staring at her? Their eyes locked and neither one of them moved. They stayed like that for a few seconds.

And then his right hand reached out towards her face slowly. Reika made no attempt to stop him as her body refused to move.

_Can you see me, Rihan? Can you tell who I really am?_

As much as she hated admitting this, a small part of her betrayed her and hoped that Rihan would recognize her. Her eyes followed his hand as it got closer and closer to her.

When his fingers were just an inch away from her face, he pulled his hand back quickly, as though realizing what he was about to do. His eyes were full of remorse, pain and guilt as he tore his gaze away from her.

She blinked a couple of times to clear her thoughts and remember her real objective for being here. Sadness pricked at her heart but she shoved it away. She refused to possess any of those traitor feelings.

"TROUBLE! THERE'S TROUBLE!"

A hysterical cry made them break apart. Rihan stood up quickly, his eyebrows pinched together in worry as he wondered what has happened. Reika followed and stood up too. They could hear a number of people shouting over at the other side of the mansion. A few seconds later, a frantic-looking Kubinashi came running towards them.

"What happened?" Rihan demanded. Kubinashi stopped abruptly before them, his forehead slicking with sweat.

"Nidaime! There's bad news! The Yakushi Clan has been attacked and all of them are either killed or badly injured."

Rihan clenched his fists tightly and his jaw tightened. His face darkened and he began shouting out orders to him. Reika stood behind them, unfazed by the whole situation. She remembered what she did last night.

_She stood at the yamabuki garden alone under the night sky with the sound of crickets filled her ears. There was not a single person in sight probably because they were all asleep. _

_She extended her right arm. A black raven flew down from between the trees and perched on her arm. It wasn't a normal raven because of its dangerous-looking red eyes. She brought the raven's face closer to hers and spoke to it coldly._

_"Wipe out the Yakushi Clan first, before destroying the One-Eyed Demon Clan." _

_The youkai bird's eyes glowed a darker shade of red as her commanding words embedded in its mind. _

_"And after that, come for me. I'll be waiting."_

_Once again, she extended her right arm and the raven took off quickly. She stared after it as it flew away with a satisfied look on her face._

"Hanako, stay in the house, okay? I'll be back soon," Rihan said firmly. Reika nodded at him. She knew that he would be leaving to check out the situation at the place where the Yakushi Clan was staying at.

"Be safe, Rihan-sama."

Hearing her words, his eyes softened. "I will. I'll see you soon." He gave her a last smile before hurrying off. She stared after him until he was out of sight.

_Yes, I'll see you soon, Rihan._

_But the next time we meet, we'll be facing each other as enemies instead._

* * *

**The next chapter will be from Rihan's POV and it will be out by this weekend! Keep a lookout for it and I'll see you soon! :D**


	7. Chapter 7 The Realization

**I know I am horribly late in updating this chapter. D: I am super sorry! I was busy planning a surprise birthday party for my dear friend and a bunch of other stuff that I couldn't manage to update earlier.**

**I could have written a longer stay for Reika at the Nura House but I was afraid that it might ended up quite draggy and boring. I wanted to get on with the whole revealing she-is-actually-Otome stuff instead hehehe. :P**

**Thanks a lot to those who left reviews for the previous two chapters. I****t made my day and really boost my motivation a lot! ****And of course, I am also grateful to those who favorited, followed as well as the silent readers who actually took the time to read this. :D**

**Hope you guys are enjoying the chapters as much as I enjoy writing them! I am also trying to write longer chapters now. ;) And could you do me a huge favor by favouriting, following or leaving reviews? I thank you in advance! **

* * *

Rihan was in his room, running his fingers across the blade of Nenekirimaru when a neckless youkai with glossy blond hair entered.

"Nidaime."

He looked up and nodded at him. "Hey."

Kubinashi walked over to him and glanced at whatever he was doing. "I heard about the Yami Clan from Karasu Tengu," he said. "Do you think that Hagoromo Gitsune is back? She might have gotten herself a new host and set up this new clan."

"Yeah," Rihan agreed, but he raised his eyebrows a little. "But why does she need a new clan when she already has one? Don't you think that maybe there's a rise of a new potential person who could be the next leader of the youkai world? We can't rule out that possibility either."

"But if the latter is true, I have to say that this person is quite bold." He gave an amused smirk, looking as though he was unaffected by this whole issue. Kubinashi sighed tiredly at him.

"Please be more serious about this, Rihan-sama."

"I'm serious." Rihan's head snapped up and his fearsome eyes held Kubinashi's in a strong gaze, conveying the message across to him that he meant every word he was saying. Kubinashi tore his eyes away because he could sense his Fear very strongly when his commander looked at him like that.

And then, Rihan cracked a smile. "Jeez, I was trying to lighten the mood here. Why are you always so stiff?" he joked. "You won't be able to make any ladies like you if you're continuing to be so cold like this." Kubinashi shot him a look, which made Rihan cough to hide his laughter that was threatening to spill out.

In the next second, his expression turned serious and his voice was determined.

"But whoever the leader of the Yami Clan is, we have to defeat her and destroy the clan. Obviously, they are just another bunch of ruthless youkai who detests the humans. And for that, we can't let them rule over us."

Kubinashi nodded his head in agreement. "Oh yes, Nidaime-" he has something to say to him. "-if you're planning to leave unnoticed alone AGAIN, I want you to take me along. How could you even think of leaving without any of your guards!?" He was ready to launch into one of his scoldings but Rihan held up both his hands in mock surrender and cringed at him.

"Alright, alright!" he gave in dramatically. "I promise you, but spare me your long lecture, okay?"

_Sorry, Kubinashi. It is more exciting for a man to travel on his own._

Kubinashi paused and threw him a sceptical look. He knew that Rihan wouldn't promise him that easily, but he decided to let it go. There was something else that he has to say. Something important. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his shoulders as he thought hard about something. A few seconds of silence passed and Rihan soon realized that Kubinashi has more to say since he wasn't intending to leave the room.

"Is there something else you wanna tell me?"

Kubinashi hesitated, afraid that his next few words might anger his commander instead. However, he really wanted know what Rihan thought about it.

"You know, _that _girl..." he saw Rihan's fingers stopped moving on the blade but he continued slowly. "That one who looks like _her_..." Rihan was like a ticking bomb right now and Kubinashi didn't dare to speak the name of his first wife because he was afraid that he might set the bomb off.

"Don't you find her suspicious? I-I mean, don't you find her reason for staying here seems a little...weird?" Ever since Hanako or whatever-her-name-was entered the house, he hasn't been getting good vibes from her. Something about that girl seemed _off._

The Second Commander remained quiet and only the sound of their breathing was heard. Kubinashi got off the wall and approached him with a questioning look.

"Is there something you know about her?"

Rihan blinked once before waving his question away. "Don't worry, she's not gonna be a threat to us." He resumed playing with his sword. He hasn't told anyone that Hanako might be his child. But he hasn't confirmed that yet, it was just a possibility.

"How do you know that she's not a threat? You let a stranger into our house when you knew that we're always being targeted! For all we know, she could be a spy or something!" Kubinashi threw him a frustrated look.

Rihan just shook his head, disagreeing with him. "She's sick, Kubinashi. What harm can she do to us?"

"Oh yeah, about THAT! She doesn't appear sick to me. I don't hear her coughing frequently. No fever, flu or whatsoever," he argued back. "This is weird, Nidaime. She's definitely acting it!"

Sometimes, Kubinashi would catch Hanako staring at Rihan for so long with a dangerous look in her eyes. Her smiles, they looked quite forced too. "Nidaime, don't you believe my words? I know that she looked like Otome-chan but please, don't be deceived by her-"

Rihan shoved Nenekirimaru back into its sheath loudly and this interrupted his subordinate. Kubinashi shut his mouth and kept quiet when he knew that he had struck a nerve. Crap, he accidentally said out his first wife's name.

Rihan stood up silently with a dark look on his face. "Kubinashi." He took a step forward with his cold eyes fixed on him.

"Enough saying already, alright? Just leave it."

He left the room and headed outside. He knew that he shouldn't be acting like this when Kubinashi was just worried about him. Moreover, he knew that whatever his subordinate pointed out was true and he wouldn't lie to him.

_But_ _I just can't..._

He didn't want to interrogate her or chase her out of his mansion. He wanted her to stay.

_Oh shit..._

He was starting to harbour selfish thoughts.

Rihan sat down on a veranda outside one of the rooms in his house and sat there idly. His mind was in a mess as he tried to figure out his thoughts and emotions. This was the first time that he was actually confused with himself.

"Oi, Rihan."

Nurarihyon addressed his son and smacked him on the head using a knifehand strike. Rihan didn't notice his father sneaking up from behind and yelped in pain.

"Dammit, old man." He rubbed the spot on his head where he was hit. "Where did you go?"

"Tsk tsk. Don't let your guard down, Rihan," Nurarihyon shook disapprovingly at his son. "I went to visit Hihi. He seemed a little better."

Rihan smiled in relief. Hihi has lost his wife after she had given birth to their child, Shoei, a couple of years ago. He was still in a bad state as he couldn't get over the loss of his wife. He knew how Hihi felt since he had actually went through the same situation. But to be honest, he felt that Hihi was stronger than him mentally.

"You know, I was very surprised to know that we have a guest in our house." His father rubbed the grey stubble on his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't let yourself get to attached to her, Rihan," he warned. "She looks like Otome, but she isn't. Keep this in mind, you have Wakana and Rikuo now." He patted his son's shoulder gently before leaving him alone.

Rihan kept quiet as he pondered over his old man's words that replayed in his mind over and over again. He knew that Nurarihyon was right and he shouldn't be acting like this when he already has a family.

It was time for him to let go of the past completely.

And right now, he should be figuring the bigger problem instead - the Yami Clan. He knew that they were coming for the Nura Clan and he was expecting them to have arrived Ukiyoe by now. However, there was a delay in their arrival due to some unknown reasons.

A soft thud behind him followed by a female voice startled him while he was lost in his thoughts. He turned quickly and realized that it was just Hanako. She sat beside him and they spoke to each other for quite a while. While she was talking, he was uncontrollably enraptured by how much she resembled Otome.

His fingers reached out to touch her, but Kubinashi's and his father's words made him stop in time. He pulled back his hand and stared straight ahead to avoid looking at her. Hanako didn't utter a single word and an uncomfortable silence filled the air between them.

A few minutes later, a frantic-looking Kubinashi came running to him with bad news - the Yakushi Clan was attacked.

_Zen! _Rihan stood up instantly and ordered Kubinashi to call the rest and get ready to set off immediately. He hoped that they would be able to save the rest of the surviving members of the Yakushi Clan and especially, Zen. They played an important role in the Nura Clan as they were the ones who provided medicine and first aid whenever fights occurred.

He turned back to Hanako, who was surprisingly calm, and urged her to stay in the house as it was the safest place. After that, he hurried off to get his Nenekirimaru before meeting up with his subordinates.

He was absolutely clueless that he was actually leaving the house behind in the hands of a killer.

* * *

_He was in a dream._

_Finding himself in a room that he remembered it all too well with a heartbreaking love poem in his hand that was left behind by his first love, he knew that he was brought back to the past. This was the moment where his blissful world was shattered to pieces._

_Setsura stood before him with tears cascading down her cheeks. Her trembling hands covered her mouth to muffle her sobs. She drew in a shaky breath when she finally mustered her courage._

_"...she's dead," she choked out, her voice tremulous._

_"I'm sorry, Rihan." Her remorseful eyes begged him for forgiveness. Tears rolled off her cheeks and formed tiny flakes of snow. It fluttered to the ground and piled around her as she continued crying._

_"I'm sorry..."_

_"...so sorry..."_

_Sudden winds swirled around her thickly along with the snow flakes and took Rihan by surprise. Setsura let out a painful cry before her knees gave out and she collapsed on the floor, as though all her strength was drained out of her body. Her shoulders were slumped and her hands that were supporting her trembled. _

_"Nee-san!" he cried out, while shielding his face with the sleeve of his haori from the misty winds and icy snow flakes. When it died down, he reached out towards her and grabbed her shoulders to hold her upright properly._

_"Are you alright, Nee-san? NEE-SAN!?"_

_Her head hung low and black-blue wavy hair hid her face from him. He couldn't get a good look at her face and this made him anxious._

_"Nee-san? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. When there was no reply, he shook her lightly once. When she didn't react, he repeated her name again and drew the black-blue curtain aside. Her face was exposed when he locked thick strands of her hair behind her ears with his fingers._

_At last, she looked up slowly. And instead of amber eyes, he met coal-black ones. __His jaw dropped in disbelief and his body froze completely. His brain was no longer functioning well anymore when he realized that the woman who was sitting before him was no longer Setsura but his deceased wife. _

_No, he thought, this is just a dream. She isn't real. _

_"Rihan..." Otome stared straight at him, her loving eyes were filled with such sadness that his body trembled involuntary. When her hand reached out to touch his cheek, his heart stopped as warmth seeped from her smooth fingers to his skin. Her touch was starting to ignite a spark within him again._

_He closed his eyes and placed a hand over hers as he remembered how it felt like to feel her warmth. He missed her so terribly much that no amount of words could describe it. He didn't want to let go of her hand anymore, he just want to stay here forever with her. _

_If this is really a dream, he thought, please don't wake me up from it._

_Warmth fingers touched his other cheek and a thumb ran over his skin just right below his right eye. He opened his eyes and realized that his cheeks were wet. He didn't even notice that he was crying until Otome started wiping his tears gently. His eyes welled up even more when he was reminded of how she died. A kind-hearted and gentle person like Otome didn't deserve to end her life in that way. _

_And she was alone, all by herself! He wasn't there by her side. _

_"I'm so sorry, Otome! It was all my fault that you died!" Words started spilling out of his mouth quickly when he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Guilt and anger gnawed at his insides. His feelings that he have bottled up within him for many years all started pouring out._

_"I'm useless! And weak! This is all my fault, I couldn't save you!" He became even more agitated as he spoke every word. "Please, just scream at me or hit me as much as you want! Do whatever you want to me until you're appeased!"_

_Otome's expression remained unchanged. Her body shifted forward and she embraced him. Rihan's eyes widened in surprise, but he shut them slowly afterwards and hugged her back tightly. _

_"Otome..." he cried her name softly, afraid that she would leave again. "Otome..."_

_ A stab of pain in his stomach startled him unexpectedly. He moaned excruciatingly and clutched at his stomach. He felt something warm and slick oozing out of his wound. Pain contorted his face and he started to see black dots. However, he forced himself to look at the person who did this to him._

_Otome moved away from him and stood up. A dark look crossed her face and her hand was holding onto a knife that was dripping crimson blood._

_No, it couldn't be... "O-Otome?" he gasped. His mind was in complete shock. _

_Her mouth curved into a smirk and she made no move to help him. To his horror, his dear Otome has transformed into a completely different person. The aura that she was giving off now was cold and evil._

_"You did tell me to do whatever I want to you until I'm appeased, right?" she spoke coldly. Her black eyes turned into a dark ruby color and she smiled icily at him, or rather, at his pain. "How did that feel, Rihan?"_

_He didn't reply her as he was still dumbfounded and at a loss for words. He couldn't believe what she actually did to him. His mind was filled with turbulent thoughts as he started to deny the truth. _

_She kneeled down in front of him and held his chin tightly with her fingers. She made him look straight at her while she hissed at him. _

_"Your Otome... She's dead. Because of YOU!" _

_She let go of him and he collapsed onto the hard ground as his deep wound was causing his energy to seep out of his body fast. His consciousness was drifting away but he forced himself to stay awake as he stared after Otome, who was walking away from him. Before she left the room, she threw a cold smile over her shoulder. She vanished into the darkness of the night slowly, leaving him to die there alone._

_Wait! Don't leave, Otome!_

"Nidaime?"

_Please..._

_"_Nidaime? Wake up!" A distant voice called him. He felt someone shaking his shoulders and he awoke with a jerk. Kurotabou called him worriedly, his forehead creased in concern. However, Rihan didn't hear him as he felt his stomach for the wound . The pain that he was still feeling right now was distinct. _  
_

But there was nothing. There was no blood and a deep cut.

His mind was in a whirl. But she was real, the pain was real, and that wasn't a dream at all.

Besides, this dream was different than any other ones he had. Otome has never once appeared as a terrifying youkai who was full of hatred until the one he just had. He could still vividly recalled the gleaming look in her eyes as she smiled coldly at him. When her coal-black eyes changed to a ruby color, she looked identical to Hanako.

This reminded him, how on earth did he fall asleep on a giant flying snake youkai when he clearly remembered that he wasn't tired at all?

"We've arrived, Nidaime."

The flying snake youkai, who was carrying Rihan and his subordinates, stopped on a mountain where the Yakushi Clan resided. Even before they got off, they could already see the terrible destruction of the place.

The sight was a bloody mess. Bodies were scattered everywhere and the stench of the dead and blood was nauseating. The home of the Yakushi Clan was blown to pieces and neighboring trees were snapped in half. Rihan, shocked at the scene before him, regained his composure and ordered them to search for anyone who was still alive. They have to save as many as they could.

He clenched his fist tightly. Who was the one responsible for all this?

He searched around for Zen, hoping that the leader of the Yakushi Clan was still alive. They mustn't lose him, he was a precious subordinate of his. He was growing even more flustered and anxious when he realized that he couldn't find the person that he was looking for.

"Nidaime!" Tosakamaru and Sasami of the Sanba Garasu flew down and landed swiftly. They dropped down to their knees and bowed in respect to their commander. The only sibling missing was Kuroumaru, who has yet to arrive.

"Have you done what I've asked you to do?" he asked. He had ordered them to send word to every clan under the Nura Group as there was a likelihood that they might be attacked too.

"Yes, sir."

He nodded and was about to wave them off to help the rest when a black shadow flew down in lightning speed and landed hard on the ground. Kuroumaru has finally arrived but his face was slicking with sweat and his breathing was ragged. He looked as though he has met trouble while carrying out his task and ended up rushing here in a hurry to deliver a bad news.

"Nidaime, the One-Eyed Demon Clan has been attacked too! The Yami Clan is behind this!" he exclaimed edgily.

Rihan grippped his sword tighter as he received the news. _The Yami Clan..._ He narrowed his eyes and tried to figure out their real motive for doing this.

"And I have brought word from my father." Kuroumaru went on telling him the description of the leader of the Yami Clan that Karasu Tengu has found out. Every word that he spoke made Rihan looked even more horrified. The energy in his body seeped out of his body and he grew numb.

It dawned on him how terribly wrong he was. Kubinashi's and his father's words, the Otome in his dream earlier on who looked like a certain someone when her eyes changed color... The answer was just right there in front of him.

_Oh no..._

Without uttering a single word, he spun around and dashed to the flying snake youkai while the Sanba Garasu were baffled by his reaction and shouted after him. But he didn't stop because he has to get back to his house as soon as possible.

He hoped that he would be able to reach in time to stop the mastermind behind all this.


	8. Chapter 8 True Colors Revealed

When Rihan left, he brought along Kubinashi, Kurotabou, Aotabou, Sanba Garasu and a few more youkai with him to the headquarters of the Yakushi Clan. The remaining strong youkai such as Tsurara and Kejoro, who were left behind in the Nura House, were nothing that Reika couldn't handle.

It was finally time for her to set her plan in motion while waiting for her clan to arrive.

She sat in front of a dressing table and looked into the mirror while brushing her hair slowly with a boxwood comb. If she was going to reveal herself as the leader of the Yami Clan, she wanted to look magnificent and leave an indelible image of herself in people's minds so that they would never forget her. She smiled to herself, for she absolutely loved the black kimono that she was wearing currently because the color represented her clan perfectly.

Once she was done, she stood up and adjusted her kimono and sash properly. She picked up a blood red wagasa (a Japanese umbrella) with white petals of cherry blossoms printed on it, and slid open the shoji doors. When she stepped outside, the moonlight illuminated her and her raven hair shimmered. The light on her pale skin made her glowed in the dark, making her even more beautiful.

She laughed a little to herself. It was amusing to watch how Rihan was bewitched by her, to the extent that he didn't listen to his subordinate or his father. Her pet, which was a shapeshifting yokai and its true form was a raven, eavesdropped on their conversations while disguising itself as a rat, and reported every single word that they said to Reika after her meeting with Rihan.

He should have listened to them and kicked her out of the house earlier. And now, it was too late.

Smiling to herself, the beautiful ayakashi strode away.

_Let the fun begin._

* * *

The mansion was unusually quiet today. A sense of paranoia has settled in the air, causing one to be on tenterhooks while awaiting for further news from the group that has left the house an hour ago. None of the youkai in the Nura House would be able to sleep tonight. They stood on guard, their minds set on protecting their Supreme Commander, the Second's wife and son, from any possible danger that lurked in the shadows.

The only one who was able to sleep in the house, was Rikuo. Wakana patted his tiny body softly to lull him to sleep. Both of them were the only ones in the house who were calm. The rest were high on alert, as she could feel their eyes watching her every second.

When Rikuo was finally asleep, she pulled up the covers over his chest properly before slipping out of the room quietly. She closed the doors behind her silently and turned to a girl, who was clad in a snow-white furisode. She was sitting right outside Rikuo's room as a guard, her usual warm and friendly eyes were now sharp and focused.

"Tsurara-chan, don't wear yourself out, okay?" She smiled to her.

"Hai!"

She smiled again, before leaving and making her way back to the kitchen. She has to bring sake to her father-in-law first before she could head back to her room.

As she walked along the hallway, the floor started trembling suddenly. "What-" she began saying but was cut off when the tremble turned violent and shook the ground tremendously like an earthquake. Wakana couldn't grab for support in time and she pitched forward, landing hard on her right side of her body. Pain flashed through her quickly and she winced.

_But...what happened?_

The roof of the mansion exploded suddenly above her and she crouched on the ground instinctively while covering her head with her hands. Pieces of wreckage dropped and a large piece of heavy wood hit her left ankle sharply.

"Ow!" She cried out painfully. She tried to move away, but realized that her leg was stuck under the weight of the broken wood, pinning her to the ground. Any slight movement caused an excruciating pain to course through her left leg. She bit the insides of her cheeks to endure it and remain calm.

And Rikuo! How was he doing? She hoped that he didn't get hurt from the explosions. _But if Tsurara was there with him_, she thought positively, _he would be alright._

Her body stayed still because her leg was hurting a lot. Her ankle must have been bruised badly, and there might even be a likelihood that her bones were fractured. She grimaced at that dreary thought.

She was definitely sure, that help would arrive soon. She told herself to remain patient and compose until then.

And like what she expected, someone soon found her lying there on the ground, wounded and surrounded by the wreckage. But she didn't recognize the person.

"Eh... What do we have here?"

A bulky blonde man stared down at her. A jagged scar ran diagonally across his left eye and muscles of his brawny arms like thick iron bands gave him a menacing look that easily intimidated people others. He crouched down beside her and cocked his head to the side curiously.

"What a cutie... You smell nice too." His eyes slowly trailed from her face to her left leg that was trapped underneath the large chunk of wood. She noticed that his eyes were wild, like the eyes of a beast. He must be a youkai.

"You're hurt? Aww, it must be painful." He made a 'tsk tsk' noise before walking around her. Wakana froze, keeping her eyes on him. He surprised her when he lifted the heavy wood off her leg with ease and tossed it aside. Although she was grateful towards him for removing it, his action confirmed that he was a youkai with his inhuman strength and she was in grave danger at the current moment.

He took a step towards her and frowned amusingly. "You aren't afraid of me?" he asked, flashing a crooked smile. The human was interesting, she didn't tremble when she saw him. Perhaps staying in a house full of youkai has made her unafraid of them anymore.

_Brave but weak,_ he thought to himself. "You should be afraid of us. You have no idea how terrifying we can be. Look." He pointed at the destroyed roof. "She could have blasted the whole house, but she only blasted the roof. See? She doesn't want to completely scare you guys off, not yet. But that doesn't mean you should underestimate us." Having said that, he picked her up effortlessly. She struggled against him but winced from the pain coming from her injury when he threw her over his shoulder.

"Don't waste your effort and stay still. Our Mistress is waiting for you."

And this was when she realized that they weren't the only ones around, there were more unfamiliar youkai watching them all along, probably around five. Some smirked at her while the others sneered. Their eyes, with a murderous glint, simply told her that they were thirsty.

Thirsty for blood to be spilled.

* * *

Before the explosions happened, Tsurara sensed great Fear in the Nura House suddenly and she knew that something was terribly wrong. When the tremble below her feet started, she rushed into Rikuo's room and carried him out quickly in the nick of time before the roof exploded and collapsed.

She panted heavily and looked down at Rikuo, who has awoken because of the deafening noises. "Rikuo-sama, thank goodness you're okay." She sighed in relief.

"W-what happened?" he stammered. He gave her a frightful look.

_Poor Rikuo-sama... To wake up in such a state must be scary for him. _

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Rikuo-sama," she assured him firmly. Her eyes were set in determination to protect her precious master at all cost. Even if it meant her life.

From wherever they were, shouts and screams could be heard from all corners. The house must be in complete chaos as people might have been trapped and buried under the wreckage when the explosions happened. She was worried for them.

A heavy presence behind her made her turned around swiftly to face the three intruders. Huge amounts of Fear were emanating from them. Their leader stood in the centre, donned in a black kimono and holding a red wagasu in her hands which covered part of her face. Her Fear was the strongest among them all. She must have been responsible for the explosions.

Tsurara was against the odds - one against three clearly showed who would lose. However, she wasn't going to back down without a fight.

"Give him to me," a feminine voice spoke. When the wagasu lifted a little, Tsurara could see the face of the leader clearly under the moonlight. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the girl standing in front of the group.

"Onee-chan!" Rikuo exclaimed loudly at the sight of her, but his smile faltered when he felt that something was different now and she wasn't smiling at him.

"Hanako-chan... What's the meaning of this?" Tsurara's arms that were wrapped around Rikuo protectively, tightened.

"It's exactly what it looks like." The cold girl made a sweeping motion with her arm elegantly with a icy smile on her face. The Yuki-Onna behind her grinned viciously at Tsurara while the assassin just stared at her impassively, emphasising on the fact that she was no match against them.

"Oh yes," their commander smiled wider. "My name is Reika, not Hanako."

Tsurara let her jaw dropped in horror. She has briefly heard that name before. She couldn't believe that the person standing in front of her was the leader of the Yami Clan and she was the same exact frail girl she had spoken to earlier. _B-but... What could possibly explain the situation right now?_ She finally realized that Hanako, or Reika, had fed them lies just to enter the house. And she has probably suppressed her Fear during her stay so that none of them would get suspicious. She must have waited for Rihan to leave the house before she could remove the veil that suppressed her Fear and spring the surprise attack on them.

"Why?" she asked nervously. "Why are you doing this?"

Reika rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I don't have time for this. Why don't you ask Rihan? He should know better than one. Now, give the human to me before you regret it," she demanded harshly. But Tsurara stubbornly refused and held onto Rikuo tightly. Seeing how adamant she was, Reika faked a sigh. With a flick of the fingers, she signalled to her subordinates to take Rikuo away.

"Allow me to handle this, Reika-sama." Yuya approached Tsurara with an ice scythe in her hands, her lips pulled back in a cunning smile. Tsurara put Rikuo down and pushed him behind her protectively. Her lips moved as she whispered something softly. An ice naginata appeared in her hands shortly after that and she gripped it tightly. Both Yuki-Onnas exchanged death glares, before Yuya attacked first.

She swung her scythe at Tsurara, who blocked the attack with her naginata. They pushed against each other with their weapons, their faces a few inches apart. Little Rikuo stood behind and stared up at them with a frightened look on his face. Since Yuya was keeping Tsurara busy, Reika decided to take him away. She threw her wagasu away and walked slowly towards Rikuo.

Tsurara saw her from the corner of her eye. "Rikuo-sama! Run-" _Slam!_ That one second of distraction allowed Yuya to strike her once more and the impact threw her to the side. Tsurara cried out in pain due to the gash on her left shoulder where Yuya had attacked her.

"Keep your attention on ME!" Yuya shrieked loudly. She got even more angrier when she was ignored by the other Yuki-Onna, who was screaming her head off when she saw Reika closing in on her young master quickly.

"RIKUO-SAMA! RIKUO-SAMA!"

Ignoring her screams, Reika picked him up and carried him. A second after that, she felt massive Fear coming up from behind and heard a light _swish_. Yuya shouted and glared at whoever was behind her. When she turned her head slowly, she saw Nurarihyon pointing his blade to her neck with a murderous look in his eyes. Of course, his precious grandchild, the heir to the Nura Clan, was in her hands and that made him mad.

"Put him down." His voice was angry and firm.

She raised her eyebrows at him, making no move to do what he has asked her. "Put. Him. Down." He hissed at her, but she wasn't moving.

"Otome!"

A grin broke on on her face. "Oh. So you knew it was me? You're really impressive." The ancient youkai has certainly lived up to his name. After seeing her true colors, he must have guessed who she really was.

"You should think twice before you point that blade at me," she smirked and her eyes flickered to the person behind him. Nurarihyon followed and turned his head a little, noticing that the assassin was pointing his blade at his neck too.

_Damn._

He turned back to Reika and tried to talk sense into her.

"Let the innocent child go! He's Rihan's son! How can you do this to your-"

"-to my what?" She scowled at him. "He's nothing to me!"

He shook his head sadly, his eyes full of pity for her. "Otome..."

"ENOUGH!" she shouted. "IT'S REIKA!" Saying her old name disgusted her and annoyed her. It got on her nerves to hear people calling her that.

Black flames burst out between her and Nurarihyon, causing the wise old man to be stunned by her powers. He jumped backwards, but he wasn't fast enough and the flames burnt part of his sleeves. He cursed silently at his slowness. He could have been really burnt badly if he was any slower.

A giant ball of black flames came flying towards him quickly and he blocked it with his katana. "Argh..." It was so damn hot! But he was able to slice through it with his Fear. The flames spilt into halves and hit the grass, burning it quickly. Damn, he would have been turned into cooked meat if he didn't dodge that attack.

Kino, with his double ninja swords, attacked him numerous times simultaneously in lightning speed that Nurarihyon was having difficulty in blocking and keeping up with his attacks. He moved backwards and nearly tripped on a debris. Kino saw that as an opening for him and without hesitation, slashed at his shoulder. The old commander fell backwards and gripped his injured shoulder that was already wet and pouring out blood profusely.

When he got up hastily, he found Reika missing. Even Rikuo and her followers too. Dammit, they seemed way stronger than any average youkai. Reika has really outdone herself in getting such ridiculously strong youkai on her side.

Kejoro and a few others arrived at the scene at that moment, looking disheveled. They were startled to see Tsurara, who was starting to cry, and a wounded Nurarihyon, with a furious look on his face. But Rikuo wasn't around and they understood the situation at once. Although they were flabbergasted, they snapped back to their senses quickly to help the injured. The first ones to move were Kejoro, who ran straight to Tsurara, and Natto-Gozo, who rushed to the Supreme Commander and started asking him worriedly if he was alright.

But Nurarihyon was too busy cursing to himself. His mouth spewed something unintelligent as he became angry for letting that obnoxious girl took away his grandchild.

Where was his stupid son at a time like this?

* * *

**This is a reeeally short chapter. I did the last part in a rush. I'm sorry, I'm really bad at writing fight scenes. D:**

**I almost forgot to mention this - I have just started writing another fanfic, but it's under Soredemo Sekai Wa Utsukushii. You guys may go ahead and check it out if you want. The title is 'The Sun King's Desires'. :)**


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